Paula Mahan
Democrat
Occupation: Supervisor
Question: Why are you running for town supervisor?
Answer: I want to continue the strong progress we’ve made. I’m very proud of my accomplishments, especially meeting the tremendous financial challenges I inherited. We have maintained public safety as a top priority and have implemented long-term infrastructure plans. I will continue to keep Colonie on this strong path.
Q. How will your experience serve you as town supervisor?
A. Before becoming Supervisor, I was a long-time educator in the North Colonie Schools and have been Town Supervisor for the last eight years.Through my past experience, I have acquired the necessary skills to become an efficient and effective Supervisor. Both positions require excellent skills in the areas of working with people, communication, strong management, and problem-solving.These skills have helped me pull Colonie back from the brink of bankruptcy to solid financial ground. In addition, I’ve maintained an excellent quality of life for our residents by focusing on our priorities such as public safety, infrastructure and economic growth.
Q. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the town?
A. The biggest challenges facing the town will be continuing to manage the finances, while keeping taxes low. Our town tax rate is one of the lowest in the region, and I am committed to keeping it that way. Also, it is imperative that we maintain public safety by continually offering proper staffing, training and equipment for our officers. Infrastructure is another big challenge. Being the largest town in the region, we have vast infrastructure needs that we must invest in over the next several years. Maintaining excellent services for our residents is also my priority.
Q. What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
A. Going forward, we must continue to follow our conservative fiscal path. We will work to further reduce the cost of town government by finding creative new ways to share resources and streamline operations. We will continue to emphasize our current practices of collaborative discussions between department heads and the Budget Committee, which has yielded many productive strategies for cost-containment. We will also continue working actively with our neighboring municipalities to find ways to reduce costs through shared services. These discussions have been ongoing and productive and helped the town to meet the NYS tax cap’s new efficiency requirements. These efficiency requirements must be met in order for our residents to receive the NYS rebates. I am confident that by continuing to work collaboratively with our staff, community members and our fellow municipalities we will meet our challenges and future goals.